Super Bowl LVIII

Did Usher Visit Russell Simmons In Bali?

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Usher Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Press Conference 2024
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From the beloved My Way The Vegas Residency to his record-setting Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance, Usher has had quite an impressive few years. But before the “Good Good” singer hits the road for his Past Present Future tour, Usher is using the downtime to enjoy some family time.

Based on Usher’s latest post online, it appears atop his list was celebrating his nuptials with his longtime partner, Jennifer Goicoechea. During Super Bowl LVIII weekend, the pair snuck away to officially tie the knot. Shortly after, Usher began a hectic promotional run to discuss his latest studio album, Coming Home.

After wrapping up his press tour, it appears the Raymonds jet set off on their official honeymoon. However, fans aren’t happy about the destination the couple chose.

Did Usher Visit Russell Simmons In Bali?

On February 25, Usher shared a video and photo from a tropical location with his wife. Neither upload onto his official Instagram page revealed the exact country. However, according to Russell Simmon’s latest post, it might’ve been his new stomping grounds, Bali, Indonesia.

In a vlog shared on March 3, Simmons revealed that Usher visited him in his new residence. Simmons went on to pen a sentimental message about the encounter. “When I was at the lowest point in my life, I woke up, and this man was sitting by my bed,” he wrote. “I had known Usher since he was a kid, but we really bonded because of our mutual love for self-discovery and our belief in Yogic science as a direct route to realizing God’s consciousness in ourselves.”

He closed the post by thanking Usher for his ongoing support. “People remember to remember this: a friend walks in when others walk out,” he wrote. “I will never forget the generosity of spirit I witnessed in this man. God bless you, baby bro Usher. [I] love you!”

Fans of Usher slammed the recording artist for being spotted with Simmons, given the sexual assault allegation the former mogul is facing. View their remarks below.

Usher hasn’t issued a response to the blowback for users online.

Usher Puts His All Into Rehearsing For The Super Bowl Halftime Show In A New Short Film Directed By Jay-Z

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Just nearly a week after Usher killed it at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, fans are getting another glimpse into how exactly he pulled off all the surprises.

In a new short film that dropped via the music platform, it provides a look at Usher’s rehearsals and the changes that were made to the setlist and production. Oh, and it was directed by Jay-Z and Hamish Hamilton, as they shot the footage entirely on an iPhone.

“As I put together the songs, like a puzzle piece to represent this type of soulful music, R&B and mixture of this pop that is my own, I think God really blessed me with the right people to help build the artist that I am,” Usher shared in the ten-minute film. “I’m happy that I’m able to share this moment with them.”

“If you put in the work, people will respect what you do,” he added.

Throughout the video, he runs through the routine repeatedly with his backup dancers. Usher also takes some time to do vocal warmups, as he rehearses to pronounce the consonants a little stronger. It is also split with high-quality footage taken up close during the actual show.

Check out Usher’s behind-the-scenes film of his Super Bowl Halftime Show above.

Usher Confirms He Did Ask Justin Bieber About The Super Bowl Halftime Show And Why Bieber Ultimately Said No

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Usher Justin Bieber 2021
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Leading up to Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance earlier this month, there was a lot of speculation about whether Justin Bieber, who has been associated with Usher since early in his career, would join in on the festivities. Usher’s performance turned out fantastic, but Bieber did not end up taking the field.

Now, Usher has confirmed that he did in fact ask Bieber to take part, and shared his perspective on why he didn’t.

In an interview on The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne Tha God asked Usher why “things didn’t work out” with Bieber, and Usher responded, “You know what? They did work out with Justin. I honor and recognize that my brother… I think that it might have been that fact that he’s just wanting to tell a different story right now, and I understand that. But we did have a brief conversation, and we’re gonna do something else in the future. But no love lost or anything like that.”

https://twitter.com/breakfastclubam/status/1758517786333053235

He continued, “I think that it’s a lot of pressure for the Super Bowl, obviously, for me to put together a show, so I reached out to everybody. Justin wasn’t the only person that I actually spoke to about doing the Super Bowl. But the moment was maybe for later. He’s gonna play the Super Bowl, I’ll go ahead and give you that, in the future.”

Lil Jon Admits That Justin Bieber Didn’t Join Usher’s Halftime Show Because He ‘Wasn’t Really Ready To’

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Lil Jon appeared alongside Usher at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show last weekend, as the two (and Ludacris) delivered the energy with their performance of “Yeah” — which served as the grand finale in Usher’s headlining set.

However, fans had been theorizing that Justin Bieber would have been one of the special guests, and Lil Jon recently opened up to TMZ about why that didn’t happen.

“We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” Lil Jon said. “I think Justin just wasn’t really ready to—that’s a lot of rehearsal, a lot of time, and a lot of eyeballs, and I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that, you know what I mean? But he was definitely there supporting us, and they’re really good friends.”

“He was there with his wife having a good time and, you know, it’s a lot of time you have to dedicate to being in a show like this,” he added. “It’s not just, ‘Okay, let’s go do one rehearsal’ and you get onstage. It’s a lot of time that’s dedicated, so I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that.”

Although Bieber’s appearance didn’t wind up working out, a source told Page Six that there are no hard feelings between Usher and him about it.

Check out Lil Jon discussing the halftime show above.

SOURCE SPORTS: 1 Dead, Over 20 Wounded at KC Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Parade, Suspects Detained

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Reports out of Kansas City, Missouri have confirmed that a shooting occurred during the victory parade for the KC Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday.

According to the most recent reports, 22 people were injured, including nine children. Three people were detaijed in connection to the shooting, which happened towards the ending of the celebration. An eyewitness’ video shows a gunman being tackled, with the weapon falling away from the alleged assailant.

Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Kansas City-area radio DJ, died after being shot at the Chiefs victory rally, according to a post shared by her employer, KKFI radio 90.1 FM.

“It is with sincere sadness and an extremely heavy and broken heart that we let our community know that KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez, host of Taste of Tejano lost her life,” the station shared on Facebook. 

The FBI has set up a website asking for tips or videos from the Super Bowl parade shooting that took place on Tuesday afternoon. “FBI and KCPD are requesting any videos from the Super Bowl shooting and any video of shooters attempting to flee the scene,” the website says in part.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: 1 Dead, Over 20 Wounded at KC Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Parade, Suspects Detained first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: 1 Dead, Over 20 Wounded at KC Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Parade, Suspects Detained appeared first on The Source.

Justin Bieber Didn’t Join Usher At The Super Bowl Halftime Show, But He Thought It Was Fantastic

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Justin Bieber 2024 Honda NHL All-Star Game
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Leading up to this past weekend, there were rumors that Justin Bieber would be at Super Bowl LVIII to join Usher for the halftime show. That turned out to be only half correct: Bieber went to the game, but he was there merely as a spectator and did not get on stage with Usher. As for what actually did happen on the field between halves, though, Bieber thought it was great, as he heaped praise on Usher after the performance.

Sharing a photo from Usher’s performance, Bieber wrote yesterday (February 12), “LOVE YOU MY BROTHER. NOONE CAN SING AND DANCE THE WAY YOU DO. LOVE YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART. BROUGHT THE ‘A’ TO THE WORLD, ONLY YOU BABYYYYYY [kissing emoji].”

According to TMZ, before the game, Usher reached out to Bieber and asked if he’d make a halftime show appearance. A Daily Mail report from October 2023, meanwhile, said, “[Usher] really wants to prove himself worthy of such an honor because he definitely sees that the excitement level for him doing it is not at an all-time high. He has asked some of his friends who are artists to help him out and join him on stage, and he has thrown a few ideas towards Justin.”

Plenty of non-Bieber guests did take the field alongside Usher, though, including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Lil Jon.

NFL Releases Super Bowl LVIII Live Visual Album and Audio Album

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NFL Releases Super Bowl LVIII Live Visual Album and Audio Album

The NFL has announced the release of a live visual and audio album for Super Bowl LVIII. Available now, the visual album features every performance from the event, including Reba McEntire’s rendition of the National Anthem, Post Malone’s “America the Beautiful,” Andra Day’s “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” and the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show featuring Usher, Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Will.i.am, Lil Jon, and Ludacris.

Fans can enjoy these performances on various digital streaming platforms such as Apple Music, TIDAL, and YouTube.

The post NFL Releases Super Bowl LVIII Live Visual Album and Audio Album first appeared on The Source.

The post NFL Releases Super Bowl LVIII Live Visual Album and Audio Album appeared first on The Source.

Users Online Are Calling Out The NFL For Allegedly Editing Alicia Keys’ Vocals From The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Alicia Keys Superbowl LVIII Halftime Show performance screenshot 2024
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Although the Kansas City Chiefs managed to pull in the historic victory in overtime, Super Bowl LVIII was painstakingly lackluster. Thankfully, the same cannot be said of Usher’s record-setting Halftime Show performance.

The “Ruin” singer’s rollerskating set not only featured some of his biggest hits (view the full setlist here) but also a few of his notable collaborators. Lil Jon, HER, Ludacris, and Alicia Keys headed to Las Vegas to join the fun. Today (February 12), users went back to rewatch the clip on the NFL’s official YouTube but quickly noticed a slight modification.

According to viewers, Keys’ vocal slip-up while opening with her 2003 song “If I Ain’t Got You” had been edited. Now, folks are calling out the NFL for allegedly correcting the vocal crack as a professional courtesy to Keys.

“Alicia Keys said, ‘Sike.’ Lol. Mandela effect happening right before our eyes,” joked one user.

“The way they fixed her vocals before uploading this on YouTube, LOL,” wrote one user.

“No way they fixed Alicia Keys’ voice online 💀💀,” said another.

“It be the non-music mfs on here like, ‘Alicia started in the wrong key.’ 😂😂😂 Terminology all wrong. She just cracked, babe😭,” penned another.

That isn’t the only thing users are up in arms with from Keys’ cameo. When Usher embraced Keys during their debut of “My Boo,” viewers began tagging her husband, producer Swizz Beatz demanding that he have a word with Usher. However, he laughed it off as the unbothered cool guy he’s always proven to be.

Alicia Keys hasn’t issued a response to the audio scrubbing. She’s probably just as unfazed as Swizz.

There’s A Reason One Of The Sets In Beyonce’s Super Bowl Ad Might Have Looked Familiar

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As per usual, there were a ton of pricey ads during Sunday night’s Super Bowl telecast. Some were good! Some weren’t! One featured presidential candidate and Curb Your Enthusiasm cast member spouse Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being his weird self. And there was one Beyoncé did for Verizon, where she repeatedly tried to break the internet…only to do that for real by releasing new music. If one of the sets in the commercial seemed familiar, you’re not crazy.

Per Entertainment Weekly, early in the ad Beyoncé sends up her album and accompanying “visual album” Lemonade, taking her “Hold Up” dress and baseball bat to the suburbs, with her standing in front of an expensive McMansion by a lemonade stand (of course). That’s not just any home. It’s known as Colonial Street, and it can be found on the Universal Studios lot, where it’s played set to many a film and TV show.

One of those was Desperate Housewives. That’s right: Beyoncé relocated “Hold Up” to Wisteria Lane, where the titular ladies got into eight seasons of shenanigans.

Desperate Housewives is far from the only show that used Colonial Street. You can see it on The Munsters, Providence, Malcolm in the Middle, even Housewives alum Eva Longoria’s show Telenova. It’s also been used in movies like Deep Impact and the 1989 Tom Hanks satire The ‘Burbs.

So welcome, Beyoncé, to Colonial Street. You’re amongst august company indeed. Everyone else can visit the street at the Universal Studios Tour ride.

You can watch the full-length version of the commercial in the ad above.

(Via EW)

Here’s Cardi B’s Super Bowl Commercial That Was Deemed Too Risqué To Actually Air In Full During The Super Bowl

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If you caught Cardi B in a commercial for NYX Professional Makeup during Super Bowl LVIII, you haven’t seen the whole thing.

Entertainment Weekly reports that only half the ad, which shows the “Up” rapper touting the brand’s Duck Pump lip gloss, was approved for the broadcast. The rest of the commercial — the part that’s online only — was deemed too risqué for a joke involving men mishearing “Duck Plump” and administering the beauty product where it doesn’t belong. When Cardi B is informed of this unfortunate development, she asks, “They put it where?”

First, Deadpool couldn’t make a pegging joke. And now this? What’s this country coming to?

“As a female-led brand with female creators behind the work, we’re proud of our creative idea, which flips the script on male stereotypes with lighthearted humor,” NYX Professional Makeup general manager Yasmin Dastmalchi said in a statement. “As a bold brand rooted in entertainment, and as a first-time advertiser on Super Bowl Sunday, our intention was to make everyone laugh during the big game. We hope you love it as much as we do!”

Any ad that doesn’t feature a pickleball-playing talking baby is a winner to me. You can watch the full-length commercial above.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)